Before she signed an offer for an internship at Deloitte accounting firm in Atlanta, Lucy Elizabeth Mostellar had to teach her prospective supervisors a lesson. "I told them I've got this thing coming up called Mardi Gras," she said, laughing.

As Mobile Carnival Association queen, Lucy is going to need some time off - unfortunately, it's happening during the firm's busiest time, tax season. But she's not going to miss an event leading up to Fat Tuesday, thanks to her employer.

A senior at Auburn University, Lucy is an accounting major and a member of Beta Alpha Psi, an honor society in the school of accountancy. After graduation, she plans to go to graduate school, but she's keeping her options open for her future career, she said.

At Auburn, Lucy has served as treasurer and vice president of operations of her sorority, Phi Mu. Serving in executive positions "consumed a lot of time," she said, "but I met some of my best friends."

The daughter of David Marvin Mostellar and Sally Middleton Mostellar, Lucy graduated from UMS-Wright Preparatory School in 2014. She was a cheerleader in middle school and high school and a dancer throughout her time at UMS-Wright. Both of her younger siblings, brother Will and sister Lee-Lee, currently attend UMS-Wright.

Her family includes many MCA royals. Her father was King Felix III in 1992, and Lucy served as the juvenile queen in 2010. Still, finding out she would be MCA queen was a delightful surprise. She came home to Mobile from Auburn in early April, not long after her birthday in March. Her parents said they were going to her paternal grandparents' house because they had a present for her.

"My Uncle Jimmy (James Carl Mostellar Jr.), who is my godfather, gave me a little box," she said. Inside, she found an estate ring in the shape of a crown with pearls and rubies. She looked up and, realizing what it meant, everyone started crying. They followed the news with a Champagne toast.

"It was a fun way to find out," she said. "My parents wanted to tell me in person."

For her coronation attire, Lucy found a "super-feminine and girly" dress she loved, and local designer Homer McClure has "taken it to the next level," she said.

McClure designed her 17-foot, scalloped white satin train, which features trellis work down the back and a scroll at the bottom, with her royal moniker on a circular medallion. At the bottom of the train are five Napoleonic bees from her father's train.

"Every time I ask, Mr. Homer says it weighs 65 pounds, which is a complete lie," she joked. She believes it's much heavier.

Her friends are "coming in from all over" to spend the weekend before Fat Tuesday in Mobile, she said. "Mardi Gras is very difficult to explain if you're not from Mobile," she said. "All my friends are super excited and very supportive."

Her favorite part of her reign as queen is "whatever comes next," she said. "Being queen is something I always hoped would happen. It's such an honor. I'm so excited and looking forward to all of it."